Chain (Pylon album)

Last updated

Chain
Chain (Pylon album).jpg
Studio album by
Released1990
RecordedTracks 1–3 and 5–13 recorded July 1990; "Sugarpop" recorded February 1990
StudioReflection Sound Studios, John Keane Studios
Genre Dance-punk, [1] jangle rock [1]
Label Sky Records [2] 7-2020-1
Producer Gary Smith, Scott Litt
Pylon chronology
Chomp
(1983)
Chain
(1990)
Pylon Live
(2016)

Chain is the third studio album by the American rock band Pylon, released in 1990. [3] [4] It was released after a seven-year hiatus. [5] R.E.M. had lobbied the band to record again, suggesting that Pylon could use R.E.M.'s practice space. [6]

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Robert Christgau A− [8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]

Robert Christgau thought that Pylon's "low registers, deliberate silences, and inexorably unmechanical beat all feed a muscular musical solidity with no real parallels—10 years after, the only band that sounds remotely similar is the Gang of Four." [8] Trouser Press wrote: "While retaining the band's traditional bite, Chain gets more melody and texture from [Vanessa] Briscoe-Hay's singing and Randy Bewley's sharp guitar jabs." [3] Newsday noted the "monomaniacal infatuation with thick bass notes and a steady, pneumatic beat." [11] The Washington Post determined that "there's still plenty of bounce in the band's sleek, steel-springed sound." [1]

Track listing

  1. "Look Alive" – 4:19
  2. "Catch" – 3:37
  3. "B-Complex" – 2:25
  4. "Sugarpop" – 3:25
  5. "There It Is" – 3:32
  6. "Springtime" – 3:38
  7. "This / That" – 3:02
  8. "Go" – 3:57
  9. "Crunch" – 3:39
  10. "Very Right" – 3:49
  11. "Metal" – 2:50
  12. "Outside" – 2:47
  13. "Sloganistic" – 2:36

Personnel

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jenkins, Mark (September 28, 1990). "'Chain' Links Pylon to Jangle of Athens". The Washington Post. p. N14.
  2. ↑ Gettelman, Parry. "Pylon". OrlandoSentinel.com.
  3. 1 2 "Pylon". Trouser Press. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  4. ↑ Kot, Greg. "DANCING OVATION FOR PYLON". Chicago Tribune .
  5. ↑ "Pop Reviews : Pylon: Purity but With Too Little Purpose". Los Angeles Times . October 27, 1990.
  6. ↑ Dafoe, Chris (October 5, 1990). "Pylon rises from Athens' ashes". Toronto Star. p. D16.
  7. ↑ "Chain - Pylon | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  8. 1 2 "Robert Christgau: Album: Pylon: Chain". www.robertchristgau.com.
  9. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 700.
  10. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 568–569.
  11. ↑ Robins, Wayne (October 5, 1990). "A Comeback". Part II. Newsday. p. 22.